


YOUTH

by xuxitime



Category: DKB (Korea Band)
Genre: Alcohol, Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Flower Shop, Fluff, Found Family, Getting Together, M/M, Roommates, Unrequited Love, cursing, just soft gay boys honestly
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-07
Updated: 2020-11-07
Packaged: 2021-03-08 21:00:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 12,443
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27433180
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xuxitime/pseuds/xuxitime
Summary: Changmin has just broken up with his boyfriend, again, Heechan is trying to find the right moment to finally talk to the cute barista at the local coffee shop and meanwhile Junseo is falling hard and fast for the boy at the flower shop.
Relationships: Amanuma Yuku/Hwang Junseo, Jang Dongil | D1/Lee Changmin | E-Chan, Jung Sungmin | Lune/Lee Changmin | E-Chan, Kim Gwanghyun | GK/Yang Heechan
Comments: 8
Kudos: 19





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> hi there!
> 
> this is a little (mostly) soft fic that i started writing for my friends who were sick of constant angst lmao
> 
> it turned out a lot longer than i was planning, so expect a lot more chapters in the future, once im done writing and editing those ^^
> 
> please let me know your thoughts! i love reading those!
> 
> and enjoy!!

"What? No that's not even what we were talking about-"

Junseo could hear his roommate's annoyed voice as soon as he pushed open the front door of his apartment with his foot. The loud phonecalls barely made him bat an eye anymore.

"Oh, come on, that's not fair-"

Changmin silently nodded at him as Junseo entered the living room. His roommate moved toward his own bedroom, closing the door behind him, though it didn't stop Junseo from hearing the onesided conversation.

"Well, what about me-"

He grabbed a bowl from the cupboard, filled it up with water and placed in it the massive bouquet of flowers he'd been carrying. He set it down in the table, right next to another, already slightly withering bouquet, this one in a big glass. Glancing over to two more nearly fully dead bouquets by the window, in the only actual vases they owned, he sighed.

Sure, Junseo liked flowers, who didn't? But not enough to have his place filled with them. Plus he didn't exactly have a green thumb and flowers turned out to be quite expensive.

He didn't come for the flowers anyways. He knew nothing about plants and the sheer amount of them together made him sneeze.

He came for the boy at the flower shop.

The boy who seemed so small and fragile that Junseo wanted to put him in his pocket and protect him forever.

The boy with the cute pout and the slight wrinkle between his eyebrows whenever he focused on something.

The boy whose smile made all the flowers around him seem faded.

The boy whose name he didn't even know.

Junseo was someone who fell in love easily, and he usually got over it easily too, but this time...

"FINE! Let's just do that!!" Changmin's raging scream made him jump. The elder stormed out of his room and slammed the door behind him, flopping next to Junseo on the couch with a heavy sigh.

"Hey, dude," Junseo reached out to pat his friend's thigh sympethatically.

"It's over, bro." Changmin let his entire body fall over Junseo dramatically.

"Dongil is being so annoying, I don't even wanna try anymore. We're done."

Junseo simply nodded. His friend had a habit of breaking up with his boyfriend whenever he was stressed about school, or fighting with his parents, or dealing with Heechan's mess, or when the weather was a little bad. Usually the two of them were back together soon enough, with Changmin going "Oh, you didn't know?" whenever Junseo asked him about it.

In a way, Junseo was grateful for his friend's dramatics. It was what got him to the flower shop in the first place. Changmin had begged him to buy a bouquet of roses at the last minute when he had forgotten his and Dongil's anniversary of one year, not counting all the times they had broken up inbetween. He had called Junseo in a panic when he realized his mistake, still stuck in his uni classes, begging him to get something, anything at all, really, and Junseo, being the great friend he was (and with the promise of free pizza as a reward) made his way over to the nearest flower shop.

It wasn't what he himself would have done, he wasn't the most romantic person, but Changmin was the sappiest person he knew and he could think of nothing more stereotypically romantic than a big ass bouquet of red roses. That was the first time he had seen the boy and he almost forgot what he was there for upon seeing him.

Seeing his flustered looks, the small boy smiled at him, which made Junseo weak in the knees, and made his way over to offer his flowery advice. Junseo must have looked like a real idiot, he cursed himself for making such a bad first impression, but from then on he kept making excuses to go back. Every time pretending to look for yet another meaningful elaborate bouquet for yet another distant family member or engaged friend or graduating sibling. And every time the flower boy would shoot his smile and patiently explain the meanings of all the flowers and he would watch his gentle fingers carefully pluck off the excess leaves and tie all the flowers up in a little ribbon.

It had been four weeks now and Junseo still hadn't been able to bring up the courage to ask him out, or even just ask for his name. His stomach was filled with butterflies and his apartment was filled with flowers and of _course_ his roommates were going to start teasing him about it. They always did whenever he convinced himself he had found his soulmate sitting across from him on the train or in the audience of his dance show or buying the same ice cream as him in the supermarket.

But this was different, he told himself. This time would be different.

~~~~

15:47. It had only been ten minutes since he last checked and yet his feet had started hurting so much more. He really regretted taking over his friend's morning shift now. Paired with his own shift he would be standing there for a whole eight hours now. Gwanghyun sighed, only to receive a stern warning look from his manager. Seven hours of shuffling behind the cramped coffee bar, with the steam of the machine heating up the work space on an already hot day, wasn't exactly doing great things for his mood. And yet he put on a bright smile for the guests, politely taking in their orders, only stretching out his neck and taking a quick breather when he got some restock coffee beans from the stockroom in the back.

Maybe the kid wouldn't even come today. The stranger always dropped by around four, probably right after his classes ended, always with the same explosive energy and loud laugh, sometimes accompanied by the younger shy boy that he recognized vaguely from the college dance shows he attended.

He glanced at the clock once again. 15:54. Dammit. He frowned slightly and tried to convince himself that one more hour wasn't that long, but his aching feet thought otherwise. He'd ask his manager to let him go early today, but looking at how crowded the café still was, it was more likely he would have to stay even longer. That was generally how he was rewarded for being the hardest working employee there.

Gwanghyun tried his best to not stare at the door too much as he worked his way through orders upon orders more.

~~~~

"Harry, let's GO!" Heechan screeched at the top of his lungs into the hallway. He didn't have the patience to check which practice room the younger was hiding in. He'd waited long enough and it was already so much later than usual.

Harry-June stuck his head out of the door at the very end. "Yeah, yeah, I'm coming!"

"What took you so long," Heechan whined as the younger walked toward him with his backpack in his arms, still busy putting on his jacket. He didn't wait for the answer, as they quickly made their way outside, amongst the flow of high school and college students alike, into the mall that was right inbetween the two schools.

They quickly and naturally made their way through the mall to the small café that already had a line growing until outside the front door.

The line was longer than usual, and for a moment Heechan worried that the one barista would be gone already. He got fidgety waiting for their turn, trying to peek over the heads off the people in line in front of them, until finally there were none left. Heechan smiled when he saw the soft-looking kid with the brown mullet still busy typing something on the terminal in front of him.

"What can I get you?"

His deep dark voice flowed off his tongue like the coffee he was serving. When he looked up and finally locked eyes with Heechan, his usually mysterious and dark eyes showed their secret sparkle.

"The usual." Heechan grinned brightly at him and the boy giggled softly.

"Coming up." His voice sounded a bit more tired than usual, but he didn't have the time to linger on it, as Harry-June pulled him away to a booth by the window. He still had a perfect view of the café's work space and while his friend stared out the window, he watched the barista swiftly and comfortably work on making Rijune's Iced Americano and Heechan's overly sugary Limited Edition White Chocolate Mocca Cappucino. He loved watching the other work. His closed off expression, the confident and comfortable movements of his pretty hands and the way he'd peek around the café with the two finished drinks in his hands, jumping a little when Heechan waved at him.

"Here you go, enjoy!" he'd say as he put the drinks down on their table, and Heechan would smile brightly at him, maybe send a wink if he was feeling bold, and the cute barista would turn around before he could see him blushing. And Heechan would watch him work while they finished their drinks.

That was their silent ritual. Every day Heechan would come in, convincing himself that this time he would keep the conversation going, that he would ask him out, or at least, just, ask for his name.

But unfortunately he wasn't the only student coming in after classes, by far. The café was pretty damn popular and was always super crowded at the time the two of them came in. He didn't want to bother the barista or keep him from his work. So he settled on this, until he figured out a way to talk to him, and not just as a costumer.


	2. Chapter 2

It had been a week now and absolutely no signs were pointing to Changmin and Dongil getting back together. Instead of hearing muffled giggling and joking arguments from Changmin's room, Junseo would come home to find his roommate stretched out on the couch. Hoodie on, legs taking up the entire seat, laptop resting on his stomach, though usually untouched. And a pout on his face that told Junseo he would have to spent the next half hour making sure Changmin got to his unusually high minimal amount of daily hugs.

It would be like that until Heechan came home and Changmin pulled himself together and convinced himself he needed to be the most responsible of the household as he was the oldest.

Of course Heechan noticed too, the two of them were as close as brothers, and he tried in his own way to cheer the other up. Be it his spontaneous actions, trying to be extra upbeat for the both of them, or bringing along Rijune to visit more often than not to try and drag the elder along in their chaos.

But one week turned into two and then into three and Junseo starting thinking maybe this time it was different. And looking at Changmin's pout and increasing hours slumped on the couch, he seemed to believe the same thing.

Junseo wouldn't infringe. Him and Changmin had drastically different views on love and he barely understood his relationship with Dongil anyways.

They had a good thing going with their little home. Heechan and Changmin had always been the best of buddies and it had worried Junseo at first, but luckily there was Harry-June as their Almost Permanent Guest to balance it out.

Changmin and Junseo had never been the closest. It was a clash caused by too differing life views and too similar personalities. But one thing they shared was their openmindedness and caring nature. So they managed to make peace with it and got used to the comfort they found with each other. A sense of home they both needed and wanted.

In the end it was Heechan who decided it had been too long and forced Changmin off the couch and out into the city for what he simply framed as a 'house outing' and a 'out-of-house house party', without providing any more context.

Only Harry-June, though considered an honorary roommate, didn't join them, as the only high school student and living at home friend of the group.

"We're gonna get _drunk,_ Harry," Heechan teased. "So you can't come."

Harry-June scoffed. "No you won't." But the pout on his face wouldn't leave until they promised him next time they would stay at the apartment watching bad actions films and eating takeout.

~~~~

They could already see the lights from the distance as they made their way through the barely lit park to the pier. Heechan was already jumping around excitedly, dragging the other two along, basically making up for the lack of energy all by himself.

Changmin squinted his eyes and through the bright lights he could start to make out the different stands and the buzzing crowd of people making their way between them. The usually fairly quiet and calming pier was packed. The fair seemed to be spanning every corner and you could spot something new with every step. Street food stands selling snacks, bartenders showing off their cocktail mixing skills behind metal stands, traditional old timey shooting stands to win teddy bears alternating with VR setups, next to random market stands, not very likely to attract a large audience here but still boldly claiming their space.

Heechan pulled them past all the wonder to what seemed to be the main square: a bunch of mostly food stands circling a large carousel, flickering colored lights, enjoyed by couples and little kids alike. Changmin was sure it hadn't been there during the day yet.

Heechan turned around and looked at them with bright eyes.

"Go wild, my friends," he grinned.

~~~~

After what seemed like ages of roaming around, enjoying everything that could be enjoyed, they ended up back at the main square. Picking a food stand almost at random they indulged themselves with skewers of meat in sweet sauce.

While Heechan told his wild, most likely exaggerated stories, Changmin zoned out and looked around him at the busy streets and the people passing by in all directions. Bustling with energy and excitement, nervous couples on their first date, slightly too tipsy and loud students, groups of high school kids who were way too excited to be there.

Next to the food stand was a little stand filled with arts and crafts stuff. Different colorful cloths were hanging up front like an entrance into a little shop and the stand itself was filled with boxes full of lone buttons, spools with all sorts of different string and ribbons and little packages of beads and pendants.

Changmin had to stop himself from abandoning his friends mid conversation to visit the little stand of his dreams, but he already loved watching the people with curious looks on their faces pushing aside the cloths to take a closer look and fidget through all the little trinkets with sparkling eyes. It reminded him of the little bracelets and rings he would make with Dongil, just stringing random beads together and ending up spilling at least one package on the floor, the traces of which he would find weeks later.

Shit.

His brain really exhausted him, with the way it kept bringing up his ex. But those rose-colored moments on his dorm-room floor weren't the reality anymore. The last time he had seen Dongil was after class, when he just so happened to hang around with his classmates in the same hallway as Dongil. He didn't realize he was there at first. He shouldn't have been there. He only noticed his hearty laugh after Changmin said something. And Changmin stared at him for a bit, dazed, then said "Fuck you", turned around and went home.

He didn't hang around after classes anymore. That was reality. He sighed and tried to focus back on his food and the conversation his friends were having. Back to the real world.

~~~~

With his still unfinished snack in the one hand and a plastic bag full of vintage clothes in the other, his cheeks hot from the excitement and crowdedness and his hair messy as it could be, this wasn't exactly the best impression he could be making. But when Heechan spotted the familiar brown mullet in the crowd, he couldn't help himself. He barely stopped himself from shrieking excitedly as he almost skipped toward him, leaving his friends at the standing table by the food stand to exasperatedly call his name and hurry after him.

"Hi!" he grinned as he jumped up in front of the all too familiar face, this time clothed in a dark, soft looking hoodie, a coffee in his hand, which for some reason made Heechan extremely happy, and with a bewildered expression on his face when he saw him. Heechan could tell the coffee boy recognized him but he didn't seem fully ready to treat Heechan like his bestie back.

"Hello," sounded a soft and quiet voice from next to the coffee boy and it was only then that Heechan noticed the cute kid next to him. A boy with a pale blond, somehow even more impressive mullet and a smile that seemed like he was genuinely excited to see him, despite being a complete stranger. For a moment Heechan was taken aback, he hesitated, what if they... His eyes shifted between the two of them as he tried to make out if he had made a mistake to come over here, but then the coffee boy's expression softened and he smiled back at him.

"Hi~" he said cutely, shyly, with his deep voice that made Heechan feel warm and comforted inside.

"Hey," Heechan brought out again, laughing stupidly. And for a moment they just smiled at each other, as he silently thanked the universe for making this moment finally happen.

And then his friends arrived.

~~~~

The moment Junseo dropped his hand on Heechan's shoulder was the moment he noticed the boy standing in front of him. He wanted nothing more than to sink through the floor, or turn right back around, or hell, just disappear from the earth altogether. But then the flower shop boy smiled at him with his moonshaped eyes and the little whiskers wrinkling his nose, and he could just feel himself getting red as he stared right back at him and stumbled out an awkward and way too quiet "Hello". He mentally prepared himself for his friends' snarky comments and aggressive eyebrow wiggling as he stood there frozen in place, but nothing seemed to come. Heechan was too busy excitedly talking with a pretty boy who seemed to be accompanying his flower boy and Changmin... Changmin was nowhere to be seen.

Junseo was tall enough to be able to look slightly over the crowds of people around them, and Changmin himself was tall enough to be noticed, but he couldn't find him anyway. He frowned and tightened his grip on Heechan's shoulder to forcibly turn him towards him.

"Where's Changmin?" His voice had just the right amount of sternness in it for Heechan to pull his attention away from the kid in the hoodie and peer around the crowd.

"Uh..." he started. The flower boy that Junseo had avoided looking at so far asked "What's going on?" in that gentle, careful voice that would have made Junseo melt if it wasn't for the fact that his currently mentally unstable friend was probably wandering around a crowded pier around nighttime, probably not paying any attention to his surroundings.

"Uhh our friend is kind of... lost, I think," Heechan grabbed the hoodie boy's wrist to which the other only blinked slightly dazed in response. "Can you help try to find him? He has brown hair, and a white shirt, and like, a bunch of bracelets." The two boys kind of stared at him, probably waiting for something actually helpful in his description, but after watching Heechan struggle with his words for a bit, the flower boy smiled again and answered "Sure!" Junseo looked at him and once again wondered if he was in his customer service mood or if he was simply always like this.

Heechan giggled excitedly, like this was an adventure they were about to go on, and pulled the hoodie boy along with him into the crowd, abandoning the other two, because o _f course_ splitting up was the best thing to do in a situation like this. Junseo sighed. He tried his hardest to come up with a snarky yet still lighthearted comment to break the ice with the sunshine boy next to him. But all he could bring out in the end was "Hi". Again.

And then: "I'm Junseo." And then he blanked again.

The flower boy giggled and answered: "I'm Yuku. Do you want to go look for your friend?"

And then he got the most genius idea he could have gotten.

"I think," he started. "What if we sit down somewhere where we can see a lot of people pass by." He smiled at Yuku. "Do you like tteokbokki?"

~~~~

Changmin buried his hand in the box full of tiny beads and pulled it up to let them fall through his fingers like sand. Just the feeling of it calmed him down. He fidgeted with the little plastic bag that the stand owner had given him to put in the beads he wanted. He could spend hours just going through them all, trying to find some hidden treasures in the boxes next to boxes of color assorted beads. He picked one out, a small yellow sun with a smiley on it, and smiled right back at it.

"Did you make that?" A voice disrupted the store-like calmth of the stand. Changmin looked up to see the source of the question standing next to him. A pretty boy with half-long black hair, a polite looking face and big, sparkling eyes. Younger than him, but only slightly.

Changmin nodded and reached out his arm to show off the bracelets around his wrist. The boy carefully touched it and held every bead in his elegant fingers with a focused expression on his face.

Cute, thought Changmin.

"Do you make bracelets yourself?"

The kid seemed surprised at him trying to keep the conversation going.

"Oh, I..." he seemed apologetic. "I want to, but..." His eyes scrunched up as he smiled shyly. "I'm not as good as you."

Changmin blinked at him.

"I can help you," he blurted out, not even taking the time to think about what that meant. He could almost feel his cheeks heating up as he glanced at the stand owner, who seemed to be secretly listening in on their awkward conversation.

But the boy didn't seem to share his awkwardness. He nodded excitedly and Changmin couldn't help but be endeared by it. His excitement was contagious and he seemed genuinely interested in something Changmin himself could do for hours.

He stretched out his arm and let the little happy sun bead fall into the stranger's hand.

"Here. Start with this."

~~~~

Heechan _tried_ to keep an eye out for Changmin, but with a cute giggly Gwanghyun smelling of coffee and warmth next to him, it was hard to stay focused. The two of them bounced around the pier, pointing each other to different stands to recommend snacks and drinks and fun activities. Gwanghyun made him try alcohol-infused coffee and spicy chocolate milk and giggled at the faces he pulled. Heechan dragged him to shooting game stands and won him a fox plushie, exclaiming excitedly how similar they looked. They tried out hats and sunglasses together, acting out the characters they'd become with them on. They spent way too much money on way too loud and way too dated slot machines, failing mere seconds into their try and laughing at each others disappointed faces.

At the end of the night they were stood together, watching over the water. Noses cold and cheeks hot, pressed together like penguins searching for warmth, with their hands buried deep in the pockets of their coats.

"Hey coffee boy," Heechan joked. "Let's do this more often." And Gwanghyun laughed at him with that warm look in his eyes.

~~~~

"Maybe if _you_ hadn't run off in the first place, we wouldn't be in this situation." Junseo shivered, fingers shaking as he once again pressed Heechan's name and watched the ringtone go over.

Changmin scoffed. "Oh come on, it seems like you had a great time without me," he teased, and Junseo felt his cheeks getting warm, but he refused to look up. Luckily it didn't seem like Yuku was paying much attention to their conversation anyway.

Heechan didn't pick up. Again. He sighed.

"What were you doing anyway?"

Changmin shrugged nonchalantly. Whatever it was, the night out had clearly worked. Heechan would've been delighted, if he wasn't so stuck in his own little world right now.

That's when Changmin jumped up and started waving at something in the distance. Junseo peered. Two black figures slowly made their way over, walking along the side of the pier, clearly in no rush. One of them waved back in such an excited way that it just _had_ to be Heechan.

They were taking their sweet time and Changmin had now gone and made his way toward them. Yuku also stood up and looked back at Junseo. "Are you coming?" He nodded and followed him to the rest of the group.

The five of them were a strange combination. They stood for a moment in silence, all shivering, silently trying to figure out the next move. Heechan and Gwanghyun having grown way too comfortable in such a short time, Yuku and Junseo still painfully aware of how close they were standing to each other and if it was inappropriate or if it would be awkward if they moved away and Changmin curiously eyeing them all up, trying to figure out what the hell was going on.

"Let's at least keep in contact," said Gwanghyun.


	3. Chapter 3

[1 unread message from Sungminniee~~]

Changmin smiled at the name the other had put himself in his phone as. After losing complete track of time by picking out beads and threads together, the two had moved on to talking about university, hobbies, other more normal first conversation topics. In the end it had been Sungmin who asked for his number. "In case you want to get coffee inbetween classes together," he had said. Changmin wasn't sure how to interpret that, but he didn't bother to think about it. He liked spending time with the other and that was enough.

He pulled his attention from his laptop to read the text.

Coffee in 20 mins? :0

He phrased it like it was a regular thing they did, like they were used to this. Changmin was home, he did most of his studying from home now, didn't want to risk running into certain people and getting stuck in conversations he didn't want to have. He imagined Sungmin in a lecture, leaning back in his chair to look at his phone under the table. Twenty minutes was just about enough to get to the coffee shop in the mall, if he was quick about it.

okay!!! see u at the mall

he texted back, and immediately started packing, even bringing along his laptop. Mostly because he didn't want Sungmin to think he was coming all the way just for coffee, though that was exactly what was happening. He told himself the other might want to study together afterwards too.

Right as he opened the door, he stood eye in eye with a flustered Heechan, keys in hand.

"Where you going?" there wasn't a trace of tiredness from the last night to be found in him.

"Coffee. And to study," Changmin blurted, and quickly moved past him to avoid any more comments.

"Okay!" shouted Heechan after him, when he was already at the end of the hallway.

~~~~

Yuku was packing up an old man's bouquet as he entered the shop, not even looking up at the gentle rinkling sound of the bell above the door. Junseo hung around at the back of the store, waiting for him to finish. He softly touched the petals of the sunflower in front of him as he took the time to watch Yuku's focused face from afar as he finished up the bouquet and his bright smile as the man left the store.

Junseo waved at him. Yuku's eyes sparkled.

"You know there's other ways to meet me," he giggled, and Junseo felt his skin heat up.

"I know," he made his way over to the counter. "It's just that you look so pretty among the flowers."

Yuku simply laughed again.

He picked one of the roses out of the bucket next to the counter and held it up next to Junseo's face.

"Can i make you a bouquet?"

Junseo blinked, thinking back on all his bad bouquet excuses in the past.

"Uhh," he started.

"It's free," Yuku offered. "Just one for you. In exchange for you keeping me company a bit longer." He tilted his head and looked at Junseo with big eyes.

Junseo smiled back at him.

"Of course."

~~~~

The cafe was packed as always. Heechan peeked over the line of people waiting before him to spot Gwanghyun at the counter. He smiled. The other hadn't seen him yet, he was too busy helping the guests. He seemed tired, Heechan noticed, yet he still managed to flash a smile at every guest and worked as hard as always.

Finally it was his turn.

"Hey!" Heechan stepped up to the counter with the brightest smile he could muster up and he could see Gwanghyun's face light up too, even if it was only slightly and he already started typing in Heechan's regular order.

"When is your shift over?" He asked it as if it was a regular thing to ask between them, as if it didn't feel like a massive shift in their relationship, as if it didn't feel like that night at the pier never actually happened.

Gwanghyun glanced at the clock. "Two more hours," he hummed, and looked at Heechan apologetically.

He nodded and went to look for place to sit. He didn't want to keep Gwanghyun from his work, no matter how badly he wanted to talk to him. Soon enough the other came up to his table to bring him his drink.

"You know, there's less guests in the morning. We could actually talk then," he offered, shyly.

"I have classes in the morning," Heechan mumbled, but he still smiled at Gwanghyun. "But I'm sure we can make it work!"

He sat all by himself, for slightly longer than he deemed socially acceptable. He finished his drink as slowly as possible, meanwhile killing time on his phone or just watching Gwanghyun work. But he wasn't immune to the annoyed looks that the groups of teenage girls would send him because he was taking up a whole booth in the already cramped cafe all by himself.

Eventually he left, waving at Gwanghyun on the way out, only getting a hasty wave back.

What did he expect, he told himself as he made his way back home.

~~~~

Their apartment was used less and less often now. Junseo himself spent most of the time he didn't have classes to attend at the flower shop. His nose was getting used to the constant smell of flowers there. He would just sit there, sometimes bringing his laptop to work on school, sometimes just keeping Yuku company, talking about anything and everything on the calmer hours.

He learned it was Yuku's dad's shop. Yuku worked there almost every day now while he was taking a year off to learn the language better before he wanted to start college himself. Meanwhile he was living with a college senior, who he talked about like an older brother.

He listened to Yuku's stories of his childhood home. Though his vocabulary was limited, his words were full of love and his tone was flowery. He could listen to him for hours on end.

He would teach Yuku words and grammar while Yuku would teach him the language and history of flowers.

And now Junseo knew for sure. He was in love. He was in love like he had never been before. Yuku must be his soulmate.

~~~~

The moment they entered the library, Changmin spotted an all too familiar face. Seongsik. Which meant one of two things: he was about to enter an extremely uncomfortable conversation with his ex's best friend or, even worse, Dongil was close by.

He turned around and peered for a free spot at the other side, but Sungmin already went "Over there!" and pointed right in the direction he so desperately wanted to avoid. He sighed and followed an oblivious Sungmin to the empty spots at the same table that Seungsik was sitting at. He vaguely noticed the other's surprised, almost panicked, expression as he sat down mere meters away from him, but he pretended not to notice and kept his gaze fixed on his bag as he grabbed his laptop from it. He took no more time than necessary to pull out his headphones and settle down to study. But Sungmin didn't share his sentiment.

"Hey!" he waved at Seongsik with his kind, unsuspecting smile and casual tone in his voice. Seongsik halfheartedly waved back.

Changmin could almost forget about Seongsik as he focused his attention on the article he was reading, but that quickly changed as he noticed a flash of black sit down next to the other. An all too familiar flash of black.

He froze, scared to draw attention to himself, silently begging that the other hadn't noticed him yet. But he couldn't stop himself from glancing over quickly, just to see Dongil's dark eyes rest on him. He couldn't decypher his expression in that short time. Changmin grabbed Sungmin's wrist out of reflex. When he noticed the younger's puzzled expression he played it off by asking an extremely unimportant question about the article in front of him, and Sungmin was happy enough to help. He once again glanced at Dongil as he let go of Sungmin's wrist, the other now back to his own work, though with a slight frown on his face that he couldn't quite place.

For a while they all just sat there, studying in silence, like the good students they were supposed to be. But Changmin could barely focus anymore. He kept glancing over at the opposite side of the table, a couple meters to the right. Maybe because he hadn't seen him in so long, maybe because he needed to know if Dongil was reacting the same way. But the other was sucked into his schoolwork, eyes focused and neck bent in a way that would surely hurt him later.

He stared, allowing himself to linger on Dongil's image slightly longer than he honestly should. How badly he wanted to reach out and tap his neck, in that jokingly scolding way that he used to, only to wink at him after. How badly he wanted to just be close to him again, back to the shared comfort, the routines that somehow still remained interesting, the spontaneous fun. But there was no use in dwelling on impossible thoughts. They were over. For good.

He sighed softly, which seemed to catch Sungmin's attention, who nodged him softly. "Do you want to get coffee?" he whispered. Changmin nodded. He didn't like the cheap university coffee but he did sure like distraction. But as they stood up, Sungmin asked Dongil out of all people to keep an eye on their stuff. Changmin didn't look at him as he walked away, making Sungmin skip after him.

They walked in silence to the coffee machine and Changmin leaned against the wall next to it, watching as Sungmin chose his order.

"You know..." he started, hesitating slightly. "That's my ex."

Sungmin's hand halted and hung in the air right before his cup of fresh coffee as he looked at Changmin with big eyes.

"Oh... Who, Dongil?"

He nodded.

"Oh." He picked up his coffee and blew on it before saying another word.

"Does it bother you?" His tone didn't betray his thoughts.

Changmin pushed himself off of the wall to get a coffee of his own. He wasn't sure how to answer that.

"We can go somewhere else..." Sungmin offered.

He nodded.

While packing up their stuff at the table, he made sure to hand Sungmin his jacket and put his chair back for him and get a little too close to whisper something in his ear. He could swear he could feel Dongil's eyes piercing in his back, but he didn't bother to check.

~~~~

"Hi," Heechan beamed when he finally reached the counter. The line had been shorter than normal, but lately it seemed he had become more impatient.

Gwanghyun smiled at him, punching in his regular order, like he had been waiting for him. "Hey Heechan!"

"You're doing good?"

Gwanghyun nodded. "I might be let off earlier today, so like..." He blushed a little. "If you want to hang out afterwards or something..."

"Great!" Heechan laughed. "I'll be waiting!"

He nearly skipped to his seat and could barely stop himself from smiling as he watched the barista work on his drink.

They didn't talk when Gwanghyun brought him his drink. But he didn't feel bad about it this time. Gwanghyun would glance over to him while he was making drinks and then Heechan would wink and the other would blush as he quickly focused his attention back on the coffee. And Heechan just waited, ignoring any annoyed looks sent his way.

After around 45 minutes Gwanghyun's boss finally came up to him and Heechan watched him nod and take off his apron. He quickly looked over and waved before he disappeared in the back of the shop, coming back soon after with his arms filled with his bag, jacket, coat, water bottle, some other loose stuff. He dumped it all on Heechan's table and started packing.

"Do you want to see my apartment?" Gwanghyun casually asked.

Heechan freezed and let out a strangely high, nervous laugh. "You'd be okay with that?"

The other blinked at him and smiled. "Of course," he said softly.

Heechan instinctively reached out to cling to Gwanghyun, one arm around his shoulder and another gripping Gwanghyun's arm, who turned and looked up at him with his big, kind eyes. And suddenly their faces were so close and Heechan giggled and looked away, letting Gwanghyun slip from his arms and go back to packing up his bag. Heechan's face was heating up, but when he glanced to the other he was blushing just as hard, the soft smile still lingering on his face.

Then he caught the knowing, mischievous look Gwanghyun's colleague was sending him from behind his back. He answered it with the brightest smile he could muster up and when Gwanghyun was done packing up he linked their arms and pulled him out of the coffee shop.

It had become colder and colder outside and their noses slowly turned red as they walked to Gwanghyun's apartment, shivering together from the cold wind with their arms still linked the entire way until they reached the flat and Gwanghyun had to dig into his pocket to find his keys. An elevator led them seven floors up and then they finally arrived at the front door of the tiny studio apartment, warmth welcoming them as soon as they opened it.

Heechan looked around with big eyes. It was a place so filled with Gwanghyun, so very him, that he couldn't imagine anywhere he'd felt safer. The room was divided into four corners serving as hallway, kitchen, living room and bedroom, divided by one thin column in the middle. It was adorned with blankets, pillows and fairy lights, little polaroid pictures on the wall next to posters of hard rock bands. A pretty guitar in its stand next to a half empty beer crate next to the fridge that had a grocery shopping list decorated with cute little doodles drawn on it with a whiteboard marker.

Gwanghyun sat on his bed and let Heechan take the big, extremely comfortable sofa chair that he practically melted away in.

"I love your place," Heechan said as he looked around with sparkling eyes.

Gwanghyun nodded excitedly. "It's a little lonely sometimes, living by yourself, but it feels good to know I work for something like this."

"You won't be lonely with me around," Heechan grinned at him, and the other giggled.

He would do anything to hear those soft little giggles that made Gwanghyun's face light up and made the butterflies in his stomach go wild. He was always happy around Gwanghyun. Whether it was the soft, warm mood he seemed to carry with him like the smell of coffee, his nervously cute fumbling that he tried to hide behind a façade of cool energy, or just the fact that Heechan cheered himself up by trying to make the other laugh. Any sort of intimidating aura he had felt watching Gwanghyun work in the coffee shop before had completely melted away now.

They talked a bit more about roommates, work and uni, the cold weather, their dreams for the future, music...

"You play guitar?" Heechan asked as he pointed at it.

Gwanghyun nodded. "I taught myself."

"That's so cool! Can you play something for me?" Heechan already reached out to grab the guitar, before the other had the chance to respond. He handed it to Gwanghyun and took the opportunity to sit next to him on the bed, feet tucked under the soft extra bedspread.

Gwanghyun settled and began plucking and tuning the strings. Then he played. It was a soft and gentle melody, warm like a coffee on a cold night. Heechan let his head rest on Gwanghyun's shoulder, eyes slowly falling shut to the soft sound of his guitar, playing slow improvised tunes. He would have turned to watch his gentle hands and the calm, absorbed look on his face, but he felt this was a moment that shouldn't be disturbed. A moment stuck in time, with just the two of them.

But over the next few weeks there were more moments like that. Accompanying Gwanghyun home after work and then hanging out at his tiny yet comfortable apartment, cooking and eating together. Sometimes he'd even stay the night, tucked into Gwanghyun, each their own blanket as if that would stop them from cuddling in their sleep. He'd only wake up to the sound of the coffee machine, morning light falling on his face and Gwanghyun's gentle smile.

It felt natural with Gwanghyun. They were like two puzzle pieces fitting together. A refreshing lack of awkwardness, nervous next steps or forced conversations. It all just flowed, and the butterflies in his stomach turned into a warm, fuzzy feeling whenever he was around the other.

Most of the time Heechan didn't spend at school or at the coffee shop in the mall, he would be at Gwanghyun's house now. He barely spent time with his roommates anymore, but honestly, he could barely be blamed for that. Junseo only came home right before dinner, smelling like flowers. Changmin was unpredictable, but the times he was home, he spent either stressed about school or in a general state of sulkiness.

Heechan had hoped the secret boy his friend was hanging out with that he refused to tell them about would have cheered him up a bit, but that didn't seem to be the case. And though he felt guilty about it, Heechan noticed Changmin's bad mood might have been part of the reason he wasn't spending as much time in their apartment.

Of course he knew Changmin needed his heartbreak time, but he didn't feel like being dragged into it. And with Changmin's stubborn ass refusing to speak a single word about it, there was not much he could do.

If there was anyone Heechan did feel guilty towards, it was Harry-June. The kid used to spend most of his afternoons at their place, but there was not much to experience there currently.

He considered taking Gwanghyun over to his place every now and again. He was sure him and Harry would be quickly comfortable too, but then he'd also have to introduce him to the tall boy slumped on the couch that Gwanghyun had previously met as that friend that got lost at the pier.

He preferred the soft calmth of Gwanghyun's apartment.


	4. Chapter 4

It had been seven weeks since they had broken up.

It hadn't been the first time, of course. It had almost become a regular occurrence, like they had gotten used to it, like it was a part of their relationship. But they had been doing fine for a while now. They were doing okay together.

It had been seven weeks since Dongil broke up with Changmin. Over the phone. Because it was like they had gotten used to it. But mostly because he was too scared to look Changmin in the eyes when he was forced to tell him about what he had been hiding.

It had been three and a half months since Dongil's parents called him, their voices so proud and happy, their phone on speaker so they could both excitedly yell at him at the same time and clap their hands while they did it. Three and a half months since he was forced to make the most difficult decision of his life. Though it seemed his parents had already made it for him.

He understood, of course. He was an only child. He was their pride and joy and they made sure to let him know it. And they made sure to let him know what they didn't like, too. His college, for example. His career path. His boyfriend.

So they chose a new college for him. A new career path. He was sure they would pick him a new boyfriend too, if they had the chance.

"You got in!" they screamed over the phone, and they laughed and they clapped and Dongil awkwardly laughed back. He could transfer with the start of the new semester, in three months time. "How lucky," they said. And they laughed and they clapped.

And two months later he had called his boyfriend. And he broke up with him. Over the phone.

And two and a half months later he changed his mind.

And then a week after that Changmin stared at him in the hallway with that cold look in his eyes that hid his anger beneath ice. "Fuck you," he had said and stormed off. And Dongil had to come up with a new chance to apologize.

Stubborn fucking Changmin.  
  
  


It had been Seongsik who told him Changmin would be at the library. He didn't ask him how he knew, Seungsik knew seemingly everyone and he had given up on trying to keep up with his ways and rumors long ago.

And there he was, just as Seungsik had said. Right as Dongil was hidden behind the bookcases, having been unable to sit down out of nervousness. He spotted Changmin right as he was making his way to exactly where Seongsik was sitting. And then he spotted the boy in front of him. Long black hair, neat clothes and controlled movements. Selfassured. Pretty. He waved at Seongsik and Seongsik waved back, unsurprisingly.

He kept his attention on the stranger now, more than Changmin, who had already sat down, eyes low, focused in on his school work. The stranger took his time, sat down calmly, looking around the library for a bit with his bag in his lap, looking at Changmin for a bit, who didn't notice, and only then started to settle. They looked good together, Dongil admitted. Comfortable.

He felt Seongsik's stare on him and hesitantly made his way over to the table where the trio was seated. Changmin noticed him now and their eyes met for what seemed like a millisecond. Then Changmin looked away, put his hand on the stranger's arm and whispered something to him.

Dongil tried to calm himself down, tried to act like he only came here to study, like everyone else in the hall, tried to act like he wasn't bothered by Changmin and his pretty friend and Changmin's hand on his arm and-

The sound of a chair scraping on the floor across from the table caught his attention and he looked up, right into the stranger's eyes. The other smiled, in a way that was too genuine, too unsuspecting for Dongil's liking.

"Could you watch our stuff for a second?"

He just nodded. Changmin had already walked away.

"What the fuck," he whispered to Seongsik as they were out of hearing range. His friend pulled himself away from his laptop and blinked at him.

Dongil gestured with his head to the duo that was now standing by the coffee machine. Seongsik shrugged.

"He's probably just a friend. Don't worry so much."

Dongil scoffed. "I _know_ Changmin's friends."

Seungsik didn't seem to be very impressed.

"Do you want me to distract Sungmin so you can talk with Changmin?" So the kid had a name.

Dongil only shook his head. He slumped back in his chair and while Seongsik shrugged and focussed back on his school work, he pretended to do the same.

Changmin and Sungmin only came back to pick up their stuff. And he tried not to look, he really did. But his school work just didn't seem as interesting while his ex was flirting with someone else, right in front of him.

He watched them leave, allowed himself to stare then. He stared until the two figures disappeared behind the door and then some longer.

So it really was the end.

~~~~

"Are you sure it's okay to close up earlier?" Junseo held Yuku's bag as the other locked up the front door of the shop.

Yuku nodded. "I asked my dad about it. It's not much of a difference anyways."

"So," he smiled, looking more than adorable in his bright yellow winter coat, "Where are we going?"

"You'll see," Junseo answered, as he led Yuku the way into the city.

It wasn't much of a walk and the route was familiar. Junseo used to come there a lot. He had gotten a crush on one of the employees there and quickly fell in love with the place itself.

Yuku was halfway through a story when they arrived at the front door, Junseo grabbing his wrist to stop him from walking past and accidentally cutting off his story at the same time.

Yuku's mouth fell open and his eyes turned wide. "A cat cafe?!" He exclaimed, grabbing Junseo's arm and jumping excitedly.

Junseo smiled shyly. "I figured you'd like it."

"I love it!" Yuku pulled him inside.

The little bell above the door jingled happily as they entered the comfortable, brightly colored place. They sat down at a table in the corner, sinking into the couch and crammed together in order to not disturb the black cat currently stretching out on their seat.

Junseo blushed, overly aware of their thighs against each other and Yuku's hand excitedly gripping his arm as he watched around the cafe with heart eyes. Squeeling and pointing at all the cats walking around as if they owned the place.

While Yuku doted on the black cat, trying not to annoy her and chase her away, Junseo grabbed the menu, browsing through all the catrelated puns and special items.

"Look," he pointed out to Yuku. "You can buy snacks for the cats too!"

Yuku let out a tiny gasp. "We should do that!" His eyes sparkled and Junseo's heart melted. He nodded and dove back into the menu, feeling his cheeks heat up as Yuku giggled next to him.

It was only after their drinks arrived, that Yuku pulled his attention away from the cats and back on his conversation with Junseo. Or at least he tried to, Junseo still caught him glancing off while talking and Junseo himself was quite distracted by the cat that had fallen asleep on top of his feet.

"Gwanghyun would love this place!" Yuku said "Don't you think he looks a bit like a cat?" He giggled.

Junseo smiled at the thought.

"How do you two know each other?"

"We met at the cafe when I first came here," Yuku explained. "He's actually the one who introduced me to my roommate!"

Junseo nodded, urging Yuku to continue. He loved hearing the other talk. His slight accent as he cutely tried to find the right words, the excitement clear on his face and his soft smiles. It made Junseo want to protect him. Wrap him up in a little blanket to make sure he was safe and happy. He'd get him a kitten too, so he would always be as happy as he looked right now.

Junseo smiled.

"I really like it here, Junseo," Yuku's eyes fully disappeared into a soft smile.

"I really like spending time with you."

Junseo looked away, blushing, but he couldn't stop the smile from growing on his face.

"Me too."


	5. Chapter 5

A knock on his car window made Changmin look up from his phone, looking straight into the sparkling excited eyes of Sungmin. He reached over the passenger seat to open the door and let the other in. Sungmin looked good, he had to admit. He wore a patterned blouse, black tight jeans with shiny boots. He had tied his long hair up in a half ponytail, some loose streaks at the front hugging his face. Changmin allowed himself to linger on his features a little longer, before he cleared his throat and started the car.

The restaurant was only a few blocks away, nothing they couldn't fill with some small talk about how their days were going, though slightly more awkward then normal.

The place itself was cute, but nothing special. Fairly popular, the busy sounds of conversations and clinging cutlery filling up the small space. They were led to their table in a back corner of the restaurant and Changmin watched Sungmin sit down shyly, taking in the decorated red walls with big, excited eyes. Cute, Changmin thought. And he smiled.

It had been a while since he'd gone on a date, he thought as he sat down. A _real_ date. Of course him and Dongil had had plenty, though they were comfortable, familiar dates, going to the beach or the movies, or to that one cheap restaurant they both knew the other loved. He'd spent plenty of time with Sungmin lately too, of course. But none of it involved the nervous tenseness of a first date they were feeling now. It seemed it had been a while for Sungmin too, judging by the way he shifted in his seat and dove into reading the menu without looking at Changmin.

"Should we get some wine with it?" Changmin offered, and his date simply nodded, only glancing up at him quickly.

They ordered their food. And once the waiter had taken the menu's back from them and walked away, they finally looked at each other.

"You look nice," Sungmin hummed, and he smiled at him, so genuinely.

Changmin looked down at his clothes. A white blouse and the neatest pants he could find in his closet. He could've passed for a businessman if it wasn't for the colorful bracelets on his arm and the long, silver necklace. He smiled back at Sungmin.

"You too." And he meant it.

They chatted a bit, like they were used to, over coffee and study material. It felt out of place with the fancy clothes and excited surroundings, but it was Sungmin, anything was comfortable around him.

Sungmin was quiet, with gentle smiles and carefully thought out words, seemingly always in control of everything, every expression, every movement, every moment. He was pretty much the complete opposite of Dongil.

And of course Changmin knew it was unfair to hold him to a standard set by Dongil. Of course he knew it was unfair to compare, to lead him on, to even spend time with him when the kid so clearly had a crush on him. But Changmin was man enough to admit he needed the distraction. It was selfish, sure, but it was just a little crush. It wasn't like Sungmin's heart would break the way Changmin's had.

Sungmin had asked him out, trying to be casual but clearly nervous about it. And Changmin had deadpanned him for a split second, before he mentally went fuck it, shrugged and said "Sure!" Not the most romantic response, but Sungmin's smile was genuine, as it always was.

So now they were here. Talking about their families, their potential futures, their dream jobs and trips they would like to make. Typical date stuff. An actual date. But something seemed off about it, Changmin figured. It wasn't awkward in any way, but he kept finding himself drinking more and more wind, trying to loosen himself up. Sungmin didn't notice, or didn't mind.

Changmin payed at the end, not even allowing Sungmin a chance to protest. And when he stood, his head was buzzing and his knees were weak, but Sungmin didn't seem to notice. They walked back outside, into the cold air of an autumn-turning-winter night. Changmin fixed Sungmin's scarf for him, while the younger practically beamed up at him.

"I'll walk you home," he offered. He wasn't gonna drive in this state. It wasn't a long walk anyways. They were quiet as they walked home, but comfortable. Of course they were, Sungmin always was. Changmin walked with him all the way up to the steps to his front door.

"Thank you," Sungmin smiled, so genuinely. "I had a lot of fun today."

"Me too," Changmin tried to return the genuineness. His head was buzzing.

Sungmin pulled out his keys from his pockets, then hesitated. He glanced back up at Changmin and turned toward him, standing so close now.

And then he stood on his tiptoes, one hand on Changmin's arm, and he pressed a soft, warm kiss on his lips. Lingering a bit, like a moment in slow motion.

It wasn't uncomfortable, of course it wasn't. And just as quickly as he had done it, he pulled away, eyes glistening, and he opened the door and stepped inside.

"Bye Changmin!" he said in that sing-songy voice of his, and closed the door. That was it. Date over. Changmin sighed.

He needed more alcohol.

~~~~

He had taken Sungmin out on a date. He had taken him out on a date and had gotten sufficiently tipsy and had brought his considerably less drunk date home safely. And then he'd gotten the brilliant idea of taking the long way around and walking along the boulevard on his way home, stopping by a gas station to get himself more alcohol. He needed it, judging by how quickly it went down his throat.

His head was just the right amount of fuzzy and his body felt light and his thoughts were all jumbled. He picked out a bench and just sat there, drowning in the sound of the calm waves, reminiscing the evening. He let the cool breeze on his face calm his mind and when he opened his eyes, he could see the first sunlight peek over the waves.  
  
It had already been that long.

He didn't notice the rhythmic sound of running footsteps coming closer until they stopped, right next to him.

He blinked one eye open and threw a suspicious look at whoever had come to bother him.

Seongsik. A headband on, a sweater and shorts that were way too cold for this time of year. His skin slightly shiny from the sweat and his nose slightly red from the cold. He was standing there, with that bright, slightly dazed look of someone who was still catching his breath.

"Changmin", he breathed out inbetween the pants, but he didn't get much farther than that.

Changmin once again closed his eyes and focused his attention on matching his breaths with the sound of the waves. His head had started hurting. And he could still feel Seongsik's presence next to him. He hummed. Maybe if he ignored him long enough, the other would just go away.

But instead Seongsik came to sit next to him. He could tell by the creaking of the wood, the way the weight shifted and the audible, somehow lively, sigh Seongsik let out. He made sure to keep a respectable distance between them. Changmin made sure he didn't react.

He really did not want to do this right now. In fact he could not imagine a worse moment. His head only started hurting more and he could feel the grogginess of the alcohol coming up.

"Are you okay?" asked Seongsik, almost casual.

Changmin could feel his heartbeat throughout his entire body, ringing in his ears. He groaned.

"Alright then."

He could feel Seongsik's arm around his middle, pulling him up from the bench. He stumbled a bit as if his legs had to get used to being used again. He groaned again as he opened his eyes only to be blinded by the piercing sunlight, now harsh and painful and everywhere.

And then he threw up.

~~~~

Changmin awoke again to the sound of dishes clattering and water sloshing. He groaned and turned around on the couch he was lying on, struggling with the blanket that had been lazily thrown over him.

"Morning," hummed Seongsik, without looking up from the dishes he was doing in the kitchen.

Changmin collapsed back onto the couch, and stared at the ceiling for a bit, while Teo quietly hummed an unfamiliar song.

"Why am I here?" he groaned.

"Well, if you'd rather be lying under a bench outside somewhere, you're free to leave," Seongsik replied, way to upbeat. "And I figured it's time we talk."

"Don't wanna," Changmin grumbled, putting an arm over his eyes to protect himself from the way too bright light falling through the window. He knew exactly where this was going.

"Too bad." The grin on his face was audible in his voice.

Changmin sighed and finally pulled himself up to sit crosslegged on the couch, the blanket pulled over his legs. His head felt way too heavy and his body way too weak. He stared at Seongsik's back while the other continued scrubbing a pile of dirty dishes that had clearly been waiting there for a while now.

"Why are you so invested in mine and Dongil's relationship anyway?"

"I mean, you're hot," Seongsik shrugged. "So is Dongil. You look good together."

A number of conflicting thoughts went through Changmin's brain, but he settled on replying with just a grunt.

"And maybe if you actually gave him the opportunity to explain, you wouldn't be in this mess," Seongsik calmly continued, not looking at Changmin, his attention fully focused on the dishes he was doing.

"What do you mean 'explain'," Changmin mumbled. "He said all he had to say."

Teo sighed and turned around, drying off his hands with the dishcloth and leaning against the kitchen counter.

"Listen, it really isn't my place to talk, but seeing as you guys can't get your act together..." He stared at Changmin with squinted eyes, as if trying to decide what to do. Changmin just blinked back at him.

"Dongil stayed because of you."

Changmin was quiet, stayed quiet some more, then realized his mouth was hanging open and quickly closed it.

When he tried to say something only a shrill, way too loud laugh came out.

"Yeah right," he snorted.

Seongsik rolled his eyes. "Just ask Dongil if you don't believe me."

Changmin squinted his eyes. "What do you _mean_ because of me?"

"He said some sappy bullshit about choosing your own path in life, said you inspired him. He was gonna apologize to you, but-" His eyes darted quickly to Changmin, before he averted his gaze again.

"Right." Changmin swallowed. His head hurt and Dongil still loved him and Changmin was an asshole and his head hurt.

"Fuck."  
  


Changmin allowed himself to lie on the couch for a couple more minutes, before he groaned and finally got up, slightly shakily.

"I should really go," he mumbled.

"You should stop being an idiot," Seongsik commented, without looking up, but he waved at him as he walked into the halfway to get his stuff.

Changmin stumbled out the front door and almost right into a thin-looking boy with a blond mullet.

"Sorry."

The kid smiled at him brightly and genuinely. "It's okay!"

"Yuku?" he heard Seongsik's voice coming from inside the apartment.

Yuku sent him a quick "Bye bye!" before he disappeared inside, closing the door and leaving Changmin to walk home, trying to not get too annoyed by people just going on with their day as he slowly came to terms with how much he fucked up.

~~~~

He told Sungmin the next day, standing on those same steps where he had kissed him, leading to the front door. It was too cold to leave the door open for him for so long, and he didn't want to come inside, no matter how much Sungmin insisted, but he figured he owed him at least that much. An explanation of some sort.

"You're a dick, Changmin," Sungmin sighed. He looked at him with his arms wrapped around his torso, a blanket over his shoulders against the cold and a slight crease between his eyebrows.

"I know," Changmin mumbled. Sungmin was so calm, like he had expected it. Like he had known all along. He shivered, and Changmin stopped himself from reaching out and rubbing his arm for warmth.

"Then why'd you let me kiss you?"

"I'm sorry," was all Changmin could say, again.

~~~~

He came home to Heechan sitting on the couch, looking at him curiously, with a hint of concern.

"Hey dude," he said, with slight hesitation. Changmin smiled back at him, trying not to look exhausted.

Harry-June was sitting at the table, looking up from his phone with big eyes, a bright smile and a wave. Changmin ruffled his hair as he passed by. The table was filled with flowers, again, and the smell of them mixed with the smell of Junseo's cooking.

He walked over to the kitchen, hugging Junseo from the back as he let his head rest on his shoulder. He closed his eyes and sniffed in the smell of the meat and the vegetables, sizzling loudly, opening them again when Junseo softly patted his arm.

"I need your help," Changmin said.


	6. Chapter 6

Dongil stepped out of the bus as he once again glanced at the open conversation with Seongsik on his phone.

so where are we going?

lets meet at the coffee shop! youll see 😏

isnt it already closed??

Still no answer. He sighed and buried his cold hands deep into his pockets, hesitating slightly before making his way into the mall. Just as the automatic doors opened in front of him, his phone buzzed shortly.

just come

Dongil frowned. The mall felt unreal, almost eerie, at this hour. Almost all the shops had closed already and the usually crowded halls were near abandoned. His footsteps echoed through the empty space. He walked the familiar route through the mall and up the escalator toward the coffee shop.

The lights were out and the blinds were closed. And there was no Seongsik in sight. Dongil whipped his phone out and just as he was about to send an annoyed text to his friend, he heard the door behind him open. He jumped as he turned around, only to be greeted by Changmin's apologetic face. The tips of his ears were slightly red.

"What-"

Changmin didn't say anything and just motioned him inside. Dongil hesitated for a moment and mentally cursed Seongsik, but then he walked past Changmin into the coffee shop.

The place was completely decorated with flowers. Lone red roses scattered on the floor, buckets full of colors lining the counter, vases with delicate flowers on every table. All of it subtly lit by fake candles scattered all over the place. A line of roses on the floor led him to one particular booth, with two big glasses of fancily made coffees on it. Dongil chuckled and sat down as Changmin slid into the seat opposite of him.

He took a sip through the straw as he expectantly looked at Changmin. The drink was still warm, he noticed, like it had just been made.

Changmin cleared his throat and Dongil almost felt endeared by his nervousness.

"I..." Changmin started, looking anywhere but at Dongil. "I wanted to apologize."

Dongil nodded slowly, as Changmin quickly glanced at his face as if to gauge his reaction.

"Seongsik told me about your parents," he continued, then he sighed. "I was acting like a dick."

Dongil tried to keep his face in check. "What about Sungmin?"

Changmin seemed slightly surprised at Dongil knowing his name.

"I shouldn't have done that. I hurt both of you and I'm really sorry," he avoided Dongil's eyes.

"You don't have to forgive me, of course, I'm not expecting that, I just- I wanted you to know."

It stayed silent for longer than comfortable, as Dongil tried to get his thoughts in order.

"Don't let your coffee get cold," he mumbled, and he watched Changmin reach out his hand and pull the drink closer to him. Tiny movements, as if he was trying to take in as little space as possible.

"Thank you," Dongil said. Changmin glanced up with big eyes. "For apologizing." He smiled. Changmin's fingers were tapping at his glass.

"I missed you."

The sentence hung in the air for a bit, as Changmin looked up, surprised, with such big, hopeful eyes that Dongil's heart broke.

"I missed you too."

Dongil nodded. "It's been too long, huh? Let's not do this again."

Changmin's eyebrows shot up as he straightened his back a bit. "Do you mean-"

"I love you a lot, Changmin." He smiled and Changmin smiled back. "I didn't decide to stay here just to give up on us so quickly."

Changmin's smile broke into a soft laugh. Then he stood up and walked over to Dongil to wrap his lanky arms around him, while Dongil buried his head in Changmin's shoulder. They fitted together perfectly, and Dongil figured this was what he had been longing for for weeks now. He didn't let Changmin pull away, but dragged him to sit next to him on the seat. His arms still around Changmin's waist, and Changmin's arm around his shoulder. He looked up as Changmin looked down, their noses almost touching. And after two months, amidst the soft light of the cafe and the smell of the flowers, they kissed. They only pulled away when Changmin smiled, and Dongil laughed, jokingly shaking him. And it felt like nothing else existed in that moment.

~~~~

They walked back with bright hearts and big smiles. The mall dark and quiet, their laughter echoing off the walls.

"Don't you have to clean up the cafe?"

Changmin pulled a pained expression. "Tomorrow before 6:30," he pouted.

Dongil laughed and patted his shoulder. "Good luck with that."

The automatic doors opened, showing the slightly more crowded city streets... and a small group of smug looking people sitting at a nearby restaurant table.

"Oh my GOD!" Dongil exclaimed, as he ran over to punch Seongsik's arm. The other just laughed.

His friend was sitting with Changmin's roommates, one of which send an approving thumbs up toward Changmin, as well as Seongsik's roommate Yuku and a boy he vaguely recognized as the barista of the cafe. It seemed a strange combination, but they looked comfortable together, talking and laughing loudly, teasing Changmin, whose ears had turned red, and pointing them at the two empty chairs at the end of the table.

They sat down, Changmin gripping his hand under the table and bending toward him to whisper: "I didn't know they'd be here either," with an apologetic look.

Dongil just smiled, looking around, squinting his eyes at Yuku giggling at everything Changmin's roommate Junseo said, at the heart eyes the barista was pulling for Heechan, at Seongsik playing rock paper scissors with Harry-June over who would get the last piece of chicken on the table. Then at Changmin, sitting next to him, with a satisfied look on his face. Right where he should be.  
  
  


~~~~  
  


Sungmin shivered, shifting his weight from one foot to the other. It wasn't too late to go home yet. He could just turn around, text Seongsik to say he was feeling sick and wouldn't make it and go home. It was way too early for a christmas dinner anyway. He could go home and spend the night alone and go to bed early.

He sighed, peering at the warm orange light coming from inside, falling through the closed curtains. If he was really quiet, he could hear the muffled laughter and loud talking coming from inside.

He pulled his hand out of his pocket, rubbing his arm for some extra warmth, then reached out and quickly pressed the doorbell. He waited, watching as his breath formed clouds in the cold air.

The door whipped open and he was greeted with a brightly smiling Seongsik, pulling him into the warm building by his arm. And Dongil behind him, smiling kindly.

"Welcome!" he said and there was not a hint of jealousy or suspicion in his tone. Sungmin shyly smiled back.   
He hung up his coat and scarf and followed the two into the living room, into the warm chaos of laughter and good food and friendliness.

He only recognized about half of the people there. Changmin, of course, who waved at him, looking slightly ashamed and nervous, as Dongil went to sit next to him. He vaguely recognized the boy with the blond mullet as Seongsik's roommate, and he luckily spotted Gwanghyun who he had had a couple classes with before.

He quietly went to sit inbetween Gwanghyun, who seemed surprised to see him, but welcomed him with a warm smile, and a boy who introduced himself as Junseo.

He quickly glanced over at Changmin and Dongil, the latter of which was trying to sneak food off of Changmin's plate whenever he wasnt looking.

They _did_ look good together, he concluded.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the end <3

**Author's Note:**

> thanks for reading! let me know what u think!


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